Gadgets Base

Bicycle technology continues to evolve and this year, we set out to find what new and/or interesting technology is being used to aid these athletes in pushing their bikes faster.  The answers may surprise you.  With a field of competitors with no stand out favorites, this year is surely anyone’s race.  Here is the tech that got us excited:

E-Dura Ace shifters: while not totally new (we’ve seen iterations for 3 years now) Shimano’s luxury shifters are getting some play by top riders.  Most recently on Gerolsteiner’s time trial bike, these shifters allow electronic push button shifting.  Normal shifters are mechanical and push or pull a cable connected to the derrailluer to shift the gears.  Electronic shifters have been pedaled for years by companies like Mavic, but have not caught on mainstream.  Worries of interference such as the guy in front of you shifting causing your gear to intercept the signal and you shift, are the oft cited complaints.

11-Speed.  Remember when 21 gears were a lot?  The seven speed cogset has given way to 8,9,10 and now 11 allowing riders to fine tune their gear inches.  Having 11 choices in the rear cog allows riders to find a comfortable pace and maximize their cadence.  Campagnolo brings out the interest with 11 speeds but we are seeing some riders, like Robbie McEwen decline to use it.  Typically, the more cogs in back, the narrower (and potentially weaker) the chain must get.  It can be these decisions that claim or lose the yellow jersey.

Carbon.  Many of the top riders are riding atop carbon bikes.  Allowing almost no end to fine tuning of any shape, Valverde’s Pinnarello Prince is decked out in the national Spanish colors and features frame design elements engineered to dampen road vibration without losing power.  Carbon has found its way into most parts on a pro level riders bike.

Perhaps my favorite bit of geeky goods is on the Garmin teams bikes.  Combining Saris’ Powertap hub and a Garmin cyclecomputers riders are measuring their effort not in mph but in power.  It is all about the Watts.  Elite riders have been using Watt output to measure their performance for a few years now, but we are seeing riders choose to add this extra weight to their bikes to give them Watt output.  That says a lot for these often anorexic looking riders.  It remains to be seen if the riders are taking advantage of the GPS on their cyclecomputers in the tour…

Join us for two more installments of technologically advanced gear from the Tour.

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Featuring an ultra-rugged design, Sanyo SCP-7050 Cell Phone is now ready to take you by surprise. This new GPS capable cell phone supports all the advanced GPS applications like Sprint Navigation, Gearworks etrace, TeleNav Track and Actsoft Comet Tracker. Sanyo SCP-7050 cell phone incorporates advanced security features like Limit Use and Remote Lock. Using Sanyo SCP-7050 Cell Phone, you can communicate one-to-one or with groups of up to 5 other Ready Link users.

Features

• High-quality SANYO speakerphone for hands-free operation.
• Dedicated terminal and external speakerphone buttons.
• 2-way SMS.
• Call Screening.
• Nationwide walkie-talkie style communication.

Other innovative features of Sanyo SCP-7050 Cell Phone include Voice Recorder, Voice-Activated Dialing and Bluetooth Wireless Technology. With Sanyo SCP-7050 Cell Phone, you get a talk time of up to 4.4 hours. This cell phone also features various applications like Stop Watch, Alarm Clock, Sprint Radio, World Clock, T9 Text Input and Calendar.

Price and Availability

Sanyo SCP-7050 Cell Phone is available at a price of $ 129.99. Source:sanyowireless

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FROM GAMERTELL - A big price drop is set for this Sunday on the Xbox 360
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Reigncom introduced iRiver SPINN back to this January, during the CES 2008. Now it is appeared on Korea’s Radio Research Laboratory website. It is very likely to be launched on early of this August. Nevertheless, the said 16GB was not listed on the website. Only 4GB and 8GB version are available.

[ via iMP3 ]

iRiver, SPINN, MP3 Players, PMP

Is Nokia about to release a new music based phone anytime soon? Well, if the product page of this “unofficially announced” Nokia 8208 is an indication, we may well be looking at a new Nokia slider waiting to be officially unveiled. The new handset is called the Nokia 8208 which from what we’ve gathered is being geared for a release in the Chinese market. Based on what we can see from the product page, the Nokia 8208 is being prepped to be another music phone which interestingly does not belong to the Nokia N-series models.

The Nokia 8208 is a two-way slider phone with key features such as a 3.0-megapixel camera, external keys for playing music, FM Radio, digital music player and a GPS service which is either a stand-alone receiver for other countries or a hybrid GPS receiver for China’s Unicom. In addition, the 8208 also features a dictionary for China Unicom. Other features of the Nokia 8208 include; a 2.2-inch QVGA display, Series 40 spec, Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

No word yet on pricing or a release date, or even whether this will be released in the US market. But since its a CDMA phone which supports access to EVDO Rev. A networks, we might be looking for a possible release sometime in the future.

Product [Nokia] Via [electronista]

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Is Nokia about to release a new music based phone anytime soon? Well, if the product page of this “unofficially announced” Nokia 8208 is an indication, we may well be looking at a new Nokia slider waiting to be officially unveiled. The new handset is called the Nokia 8208 which from what we’ve gathered is being geared for a release in the Chinese market. Based on what we can see from the product page, the Nokia 8208 is being prepped to be another music phone which interestingly does not belong to the Nokia N-series models.

The Nokia 8208 is a two-way slider phone with key features such as a 3.0-megapixel camera, external keys for playing music, FM Radio, digital music player and a GPS service which is either a stand-alone receiver for other countries or a hybrid GPS receiver for China’s Unicom. In addition, the 8208 also features a dictionary for China Unicom. Other features of the Nokia 8208 include; a 2.2-inch QVGA display, Series 40 spec, Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

No word yet on pricing or a release date, or even whether this will be released in the US market. But since its a CDMA phone which supports access to EVDO Rev. A networks, we might be looking for a possible release sometime in the future.

Product [Nokia] Via [electronista]

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We’ve recently reported on Com One’s Bluetooth USB Adapter, and I recently discovered another Com One wireless product worth reporting about.

The Phoenix Wi-Fi radio is definitely designed for a time when streaming Internet radio is listened to more than conventional AM/FM radio. If I’m not mistaken, that time could be now.

The Phoenix works right out of the box, and the set up is very easy. It will automatically scan for access points, and all the user has to do select the best one for them. Once the correct time zone is entered, it is ready to work. The user will have access to over 10,000 stations, as well as 5,000 podcasts that are provided by Podemus.

I was surprised to find that the Phoenix had a dial as an interface. I guess that is to hearken back to the days of old-school radio, and it even has preset features. Unlike old-school radio, the Phoenix has RSS information feeds.

Another feature is the alarm clock, which has both snooze and sleep functions. As for power, the Phoenix Wi-Fi radio comes with 4 rechargeable batteries, and also operates via AC power as well.

The Com One Phoenix Wireless Radio is available at many retail electronic stores now.

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by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 9th 2008 at 7:21AM
It’s T-minus iphone 3G and counting and the international queuing has begun in earnest… and in Tokyo. This is the line outside of SoftBank’s flagship store in Harajuku as captured by Akihabara News. Now, let’s forget about the first guy, look at our boy number three, Mr. Anonymous Good Posture. With 2 more days ’til launch and the unboxing and reviews already done, pictures of his rapid state of dishevelment might be the most interesting thing we see come Friday. One more picture of the absurdity after the break.

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I’ve got a funny story to tell about the Wii. Lately, my children, who are ages 4 and 5, have been playing it early in the morning before I wake up. A few days ago, I discovered they created a crowd of diverse Mii characters, all with names like “puppy”, “hug”, and “good”.

I suppose that they named these Mii guys after words they knew how to spell. They must have mastered the keyboard interface that requires Wiimote motion to work. I have found that typing on the Wii this way is slow, and if the Wii is ever going to make full use of its wireless capability, then a keyboard might soon be a requirement.

A company called Logic 3 has recently come out with a mini QWERTY keyboard, which features Symbol shifting and F number keys. It is reminiscent of certain keyboards that I have seen for the Xbox 360 that fit right onto the controller. I don’t think that this Wii Keyboard can fit on the controller as nicely as that keyboard, but it will link up with the Wii’s USB port.

This is not the first keyboard available for the Wii, for Logitech came out with one last year. That particular keyboard is designed more like a traditional computer keyboard, and the user will probably be able to type a lot faster on it.

The Logic 3 is about $30, and should be available on July 18th.

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Summer adventures require some serious gadgetry, enter the Garmin Colorado 400c.  Billed as a mariners best friend this GPS handheld meshes waterproofing, marine Blue Charts and innovative UI and controls.  I’ve got the Colorado in hand for some serious trialing.  My aim is to test it on the sea, land and if I can get it past the FAA, air.  The actual review may be delayed pending my arraignment.

Initial thoughts: wheel is very intuitive to use.  Seems capable for multi-use.  Reaction time is very good to changes in direction.  Satellite acquisition is quick.  Fun to use.

But on to the peep show.  (hit the jump for images)

Product Page [Garmin]

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